Press Release on U.S. Citizen Justin Kapla’s Hearing

On January 30, 2015, a Mongolian panel of judges convicted U.S. citizen Justin Kapla of tax evasion charges. Several Embassy officials attended the trial, including Ambassador Piper Campbell, and noted that there were interpretation problems during the trial. Because of these problems, the defendants stated during the trial that they could not understand the interpretation, nor could they express themselves clearly. Mr. Kapla’s case has lasted nearly three years and the repeated delays and exit ban have caused him enormous hardship.

Economic Advisor to the Prime Minister Mr. Chuluunbat recently reiterated what international investors have long made clear – that exit bans on foreign business executives whose companies are involved in business litigation in Mongolia have had significant, detrimental impacts on foreign direct investment.

Mr. Kapla’s lawyers have informed us that the United Nations Human Rights Committee has accepted his petition to review what he alleges to be the violation of his intrinsic human rights by Mongolian authorities. The U.S. Embassy will continue to monitor the situation closely.